LITTLE GIRLS with PARASOLS

A lot of little girls like parasols. They make them feel special. I think they also help to define their physical space. Beneath the parasol is their world and you may only enter if invited.




(SOURCE: Mother Goose, illustrated by Kate Greenaway)

To see more parasols visit Lost Gallery.

PARASOLS, like I said...THEY'RE A CATEGORY

There's just something about a parasol that makes the person holding it smile when their photo is taken. The lovely paper parasols decorated with delicate images are something to smile about. The perfect accessory on a warm day.


Click on image to see it larger.

So why haven't parasols been made with collapsable handles like umbrellas? There are times each year when I go to some event and take along an umbrella because I just can't stand the sun; we don't get along at all. Too often umbrellas draw heat instead of dissipating it. A parasol would be so much nicer. And in my case I want a paper parasol, not fabric. I want something a Geisha would be happy to carry. I won't go into it, part of my childhood.

I declare today BBP day! BRING BACK PARASOLS!

Oh sure, watching some idiot walking and texting while trying to control a parasol is just courting disaster so perhaps people should be licensed to carry a parasol. Just something to think about.

PARASOLS, they're a category

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, parasols were common in photos. They were the fashion accessory of the time and for good reason; women's complexions were to be pale, not tanned. Pale skin showed you were upperclass, tanned scan was for the working class.

I'd love to be able to collect antique parasols, but rarely see them. They often look to be Asian, but perhaps there were companies in the US manufacturing them to look Asian. I haven't a clue. I do know that they are a category, a vernacular photography category.


Click on image to see it larger.

Visit this site to see some lovely impressionist paintings of women with parasols by American artist Frederick Frieseke.